Local wins Eskom design competition
SYDENHAM - Exhilarated by his victory in the Professional Category at Eskom's Energy Efficient Lighting Design Competition, local resident Stephen Pikus has big hopes for the social and environmental impact of his design.
“I believe what enabled me to win was primarily the environmental benefits of the design,” said Pikus of his winning design, Bright Spark, his first entry into the biennial competition, which challenged designers of all ages and backgrounds to integrate practical, energy-efficient lighting with aesthetically pleasing, authentically South African designs.
Bright Spark, which will be recognised with a second award at Eskom’s eta awards and displayed at the Sci Bono museum for a year, draws on Pikus’s passion for sustainable design and is constructed entirely of repurposed vehicle air and oil filters.
“The months-long process of this competition took me forward in terms of thinking out the box…Every part of these used filters that is not used in the lamp is recycled – nothing is wasted,” said Pikus, who has for many years incorporated repurposed scrap metal and glass into the lighting designs he creates through his company, Green Light District.
Beyond its energy efficiency and environmental benefit, Bright Spark is a design with a social conscience beyond the award ceremony. The design is intended to be easily reproduced by small to medium enterprises and community projects with little expertise or capital investment, and Pikus is now involved in putting together the recycling and community projects that go hand in hand with his winning concept.
“I really am hoping that winning this competition will open doors for the future. There is a huge need for energy-efficient living, as we have seen with the recent power issues. The more this project is supported, the more of an impact we can make, both environmentally and socially,” he said.
After the ‘surprise’ of winning this year’s competition, Pikus says he has every intention of entering again in 2016.
“I have learned that, with a little thought and a lot of perseverance, there is always an effective way of achieving a goal. It has also been a reminder that there really is amazing talent and wonderful opportunity in this country,” he said.
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